From the desk of Cathy Fitzgerald, district information manager

Monday

Dec 30, 2013 at 10:07 AM

I look forward to going to work every day. My main job is managing the district’s student information database, which is called Infinite Campus. I must admit, I never thought I would be a "data person."

I look forward to going to work every day. My main job is managing the district’s student information database, which is called Infinite Campus. I must admit, I never thought I would be a "data person."

I earned a business degree at Canton Ag and Tech, a part of the SUNY system in northern New York State. I was a stay-at-home mom for a while, and when I moved to Ames in 1999, I took a job as an educational assistant at Mitchell Elementary School. There was an opportunity to become a media technologist at Mitchell, so I took it. That led to my current position, which I’ve held since 2007.

I walked in to this job with just enough tech knowledge to figure out how to learn the rest. It was a steep learning curve, but I embraced it by working long hours, picking up the phone and asking for help, and persevering until I figured things out.

Now I have more responsibility than I could ever have imagined. Since I’m the one most familiar with the database, I pull the information from Infinite Campus for our state and federal reports and serve as the contact for the Department of Education for those reports. Things get really busy four times a year with the big reports required for Student Reporting in Iowa, which provide data for certified enrollment, dropout rates, and postsecondary statistics, for example. I also

help design custom reports when administrators need them, like the one I’m developing to help the Alternative Learning Program to track students who are at risk for dropping out.

I love the variety in my job. I like to solve problems and there’s a different challenge every day.

I might be needed to work with the business office to help track fees, to train a new secretary or support staff or go to a school to provide tech support. I also assist the registrar with enrollment and Kindergarten registration and manage all the copiers in the district.

It helps me keep my perspective when I tie my job to the students. For example, a recent career highlight for me was helping at the high school when the students got their own computers. I am also looking forward to the new elementary buildings and the opportunities the students will have with the technology upgrades in the new facilities.

The district is a fun place to work. I work with great people. As technology has gotten more efficient, so have I. Now I know I can get my work done in a normal workday.

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